The gift of bilingual gab
David Steffen
Issue date: 2/14/08 Section: Features
Armed with a native command of two languages, bilingual Hillsdale students can forgo the core curriculum's foreign language requirement. But besides a smaller core, what other benefits do bilinguals find? This three-part Collegian series profiles bilingual students and reveals a life in which speaking fewer than two languages is a foreign concept.
With her mother's passion for Spanish and a lot of self-determination, senior Esther Terry had the rare opportunity to learn Spanish to perfection in a non-native household.
Her family isn't Hispanic, but since a young age, Esther has spoken Spanish at home.
"My mom began to teach me when I was very small," Esther said. "I can't even remember a time when I wasn't learning it."
Her mother, Darcy Terry, is fluent in Spanish. She began immersing Esther and her younger siblings in the language when Esther was 6. She taught her basic vocabulary and spoke and read stories to her in Spanish. Darcy said she wanted Esther to know a foreign language for its cognitive and practical advantages.
"I chose Spanish because in North America, whether we like it or not, it is the second most common language behind English, so I figured it would be very useful for her to know Spanish," Darcy said.
Esther has embraced Spanish and thrived in it ever since.
"I did not learn Spanish translating it from words on a page," Esther said. "I learned it in a very natural way where I would associate ideas or objects with a Spanish word."
She perfected her language skills in Mexico at age 12 and Guatemala at 18. There, she took private lessons and lived with a host family for seven weeks.
Associate Professor of Spanish Carmen Wyatt-Hayes, a native bilingual, said Esther speaks Spanish with no American accent.
"I would say she has near-native to native fluency," Wyatt-Hayes said. "That includes grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation - the whole package."
Although Esther was not always natively bilingual, Wyatt-Hayes said she has compensated well through hard work in her classes.
"She's an absolutely amazing student," Wyatt-Hayes said. "She is like a sponge in the sense of her ability to soak up knowledge, and she always has beautiful questions that make me think more deeply about a text."
Esther said she finds great personal benefit from her bilingualism.
"It has really enriched my life," Esther said. "I get so excited when I'm able to switch into Spanish and start speaking Spanish. I feel like this whole other side of me comes out."
Esther regularly keeps in touch with Wyatt-Hayes, and both take advantage of each other's English-Spanish bilingualism. They often switch between the two languages in one conversation, depending on the topic, Wyatt-Hayes said.
Esther's mother said she is thrilled to see her daughter bilingual in Spanish.
"It's neat to think your child graduates from high school and has a marketable skill," Darcy said. "She could've been a translator for a lot of different businesses just fresh out of high school, so that's very exciting for me."
Esther said she often uses her language skills beyond chatting. She helps teach English as a Second Language to area Hispanics and often speaks it to Spanish speakers in public.
Unsure of specific plans, Esther said she hopes to use her Spanish in some way to benefit others, including recent Hispanic arrivals.
"I feel it's a gift that for some reason has been entrusted to me, and I want to use it to serve other people," Esther said.
Hillsdale College Collegian 2008
With her mother's passion for Spanish and a lot of self-determination, senior Esther Terry had the rare opportunity to learn Spanish to perfection in a non-native household.
Her family isn't Hispanic, but since a young age, Esther has spoken Spanish at home.
"My mom began to teach me when I was very small," Esther said. "I can't even remember a time when I wasn't learning it."
Her mother, Darcy Terry, is fluent in Spanish. She began immersing Esther and her younger siblings in the language when Esther was 6. She taught her basic vocabulary and spoke and read stories to her in Spanish. Darcy said she wanted Esther to know a foreign language for its cognitive and practical advantages.
"I chose Spanish because in North America, whether we like it or not, it is the second most common language behind English, so I figured it would be very useful for her to know Spanish," Darcy said.
Esther has embraced Spanish and thrived in it ever since.
"I did not learn Spanish translating it from words on a page," Esther said. "I learned it in a very natural way where I would associate ideas or objects with a Spanish word."
She perfected her language skills in Mexico at age 12 and Guatemala at 18. There, she took private lessons and lived with a host family for seven weeks.
Associate Professor of Spanish Carmen Wyatt-Hayes, a native bilingual, said Esther speaks Spanish with no American accent.
"I would say she has near-native to native fluency," Wyatt-Hayes said. "That includes grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation - the whole package."
Although Esther was not always natively bilingual, Wyatt-Hayes said she has compensated well through hard work in her classes.
"She's an absolutely amazing student," Wyatt-Hayes said. "She is like a sponge in the sense of her ability to soak up knowledge, and she always has beautiful questions that make me think more deeply about a text."
Esther said she finds great personal benefit from her bilingualism.
"It has really enriched my life," Esther said. "I get so excited when I'm able to switch into Spanish and start speaking Spanish. I feel like this whole other side of me comes out."
Esther regularly keeps in touch with Wyatt-Hayes, and both take advantage of each other's English-Spanish bilingualism. They often switch between the two languages in one conversation, depending on the topic, Wyatt-Hayes said.
Esther's mother said she is thrilled to see her daughter bilingual in Spanish.
"It's neat to think your child graduates from high school and has a marketable skill," Darcy said. "She could've been a translator for a lot of different businesses just fresh out of high school, so that's very exciting for me."
Esther said she often uses her language skills beyond chatting. She helps teach English as a Second Language to area Hispanics and often speaks it to Spanish speakers in public.
Unsure of specific plans, Esther said she hopes to use her Spanish in some way to benefit others, including recent Hispanic arrivals.
"I feel it's a gift that for some reason has been entrusted to me, and I want to use it to serve other people," Esther said.
Hillsdale College Collegian 2008
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